Post by Dale on Feb 27, 2010 23:40:05 GMT -5
“The Apertures”
I had very mixed feelings on Jomo’s initial film released on Movie Reels “Sanders vs. Toberts” but was looking forward to seeing more work. He delved into more dramatic territory with “The Apertures” which starts off with a very intriguing hook as Russ Parker who awakens in a mystery woman with seemingly no way out.
The film uses a non-linear structure, intercutting between the torment of the mansion and the flashbacks that show how Russ became the man he is. I’m a big fan of character pieces and “Apertures” exceeded at giving us an in depth look into this man’s life, from his drunk, miscreant father who would cheat and beat on Russ’s mother. The mansion acts almost as Russ’s psyche, with the ability to answer all of the questions he has, but only when he’s ready to hear and understand them (A fact that would later be echoed in a scene between Russ (Age 17 and a Psychic Tarot Card Reader). The writing during the mansion’s scenes were all very well done and certainly sounded cinematic, setting the scene making it suitably eerie and unnerving.
The pace is slow, meticulous and occasionally plodding. This film encompasses a man’s life, it makes sense to not rush into things and show tiny little details like finding a stray cat and taking care of it. They’re important little moments that the mansion uses against Russ in his present. And it works. However I did find myself having to stop, do something else and come back to the film ten or so minutes later. It’s dark, gloomy and kind of depressing in tone throughout; even the happy moments are quickly turned into devices of mental torture and it makes the film feel that much longer. I wouldn’t classify it as a flaw but it’s certainly not for everybody.
The weakest part of the script is undoubtedly the dialogue. It’s a mixed bag to say the least. At times, it’s in top form (the conversation between Russ and Michelle regarding the meaning of life for instance) but others, it was fairly wooden and seemed rather awkward. Also, on occasion you have thirty year old characters, talking like teenagers which draws me out of the story. Also at points, things got a little repetitive, repeating the same line or going over the same thing (for example, there was a scene in which Michael was Fourteen and it was brought up almost every five or so lines. It was a bit much for a simple punch line at the end of the scene. Also, later on following his brother’s death; Russ goes to visit his friend Jeremy. Russ says “It’s complicated, I don’t think I love her anymore” two or three times in quick succession which was fairly jarring. I do think the dialogue was a step up from “Sanders vs. Toberts” and I’m sure it will be even more refined in future work.
Overall, “The Apertures” is a character study, it deals in themes; reflection, loss and ultimately redemption and acceptance. The characters are not perfect, two dimensional representations of stereotypes, but rounded, flawed human beings who are tied to one another not just in their familiarly bonds, but also in their self induced isolation. “The Apertures” is unstructured to say the least and it absolutely works in the films favour, skipping back and forth in time, tied together with Russ’s exploration of the mansion and his extremely visceral experiences. The film is fairly depressing and at times just getting through it feels like a daunting process, but it provides an extremely satisfying conclusion that gives the whole world a real emotional pathos that only a handful of films on Movie Reels have achieved. Sure, things do wrap up a little too quickly at the end, but you know what, after the ordeal Russ just experienced, I’m quite happy to take any “happy” I can get.
*** ½ out of ****
I had very mixed feelings on Jomo’s initial film released on Movie Reels “Sanders vs. Toberts” but was looking forward to seeing more work. He delved into more dramatic territory with “The Apertures” which starts off with a very intriguing hook as Russ Parker who awakens in a mystery woman with seemingly no way out.
The film uses a non-linear structure, intercutting between the torment of the mansion and the flashbacks that show how Russ became the man he is. I’m a big fan of character pieces and “Apertures” exceeded at giving us an in depth look into this man’s life, from his drunk, miscreant father who would cheat and beat on Russ’s mother. The mansion acts almost as Russ’s psyche, with the ability to answer all of the questions he has, but only when he’s ready to hear and understand them (A fact that would later be echoed in a scene between Russ (Age 17 and a Psychic Tarot Card Reader). The writing during the mansion’s scenes were all very well done and certainly sounded cinematic, setting the scene making it suitably eerie and unnerving.
The pace is slow, meticulous and occasionally plodding. This film encompasses a man’s life, it makes sense to not rush into things and show tiny little details like finding a stray cat and taking care of it. They’re important little moments that the mansion uses against Russ in his present. And it works. However I did find myself having to stop, do something else and come back to the film ten or so minutes later. It’s dark, gloomy and kind of depressing in tone throughout; even the happy moments are quickly turned into devices of mental torture and it makes the film feel that much longer. I wouldn’t classify it as a flaw but it’s certainly not for everybody.
The weakest part of the script is undoubtedly the dialogue. It’s a mixed bag to say the least. At times, it’s in top form (the conversation between Russ and Michelle regarding the meaning of life for instance) but others, it was fairly wooden and seemed rather awkward. Also, on occasion you have thirty year old characters, talking like teenagers which draws me out of the story. Also at points, things got a little repetitive, repeating the same line or going over the same thing (for example, there was a scene in which Michael was Fourteen and it was brought up almost every five or so lines. It was a bit much for a simple punch line at the end of the scene. Also, later on following his brother’s death; Russ goes to visit his friend Jeremy. Russ says “It’s complicated, I don’t think I love her anymore” two or three times in quick succession which was fairly jarring. I do think the dialogue was a step up from “Sanders vs. Toberts” and I’m sure it will be even more refined in future work.
Overall, “The Apertures” is a character study, it deals in themes; reflection, loss and ultimately redemption and acceptance. The characters are not perfect, two dimensional representations of stereotypes, but rounded, flawed human beings who are tied to one another not just in their familiarly bonds, but also in their self induced isolation. “The Apertures” is unstructured to say the least and it absolutely works in the films favour, skipping back and forth in time, tied together with Russ’s exploration of the mansion and his extremely visceral experiences. The film is fairly depressing and at times just getting through it feels like a daunting process, but it provides an extremely satisfying conclusion that gives the whole world a real emotional pathos that only a handful of films on Movie Reels have achieved. Sure, things do wrap up a little too quickly at the end, but you know what, after the ordeal Russ just experienced, I’m quite happy to take any “happy” I can get.
*** ½ out of ****
